The present invention relates generally to an electronic mail (E-mail) system, and more particularly to an E-mail terminal device, an E-mail transmitting method and a readable-by-computer medium recorded with a program which are capable of preventing an E-mail from being mis-replied (mis-transmitted).
E-mail services have spread most as applications and services in the communication networks over the recent years. The E-mail system is defined as a technology of transmitting and receiving mail data (including character information, voice information and picture information) between E-mail terminal devices connected to communications networks, i.e., between computer terminals such as personal computers (PCs) and between data terminals such as workstations (WSs).
In the E-mail system for exchanging the mail data by way of the E-mails, a transmission of the E-mail from a certain E-mail terminal device to other E-mail terminal device involves the following processes. An address (a mail address) allocated to the other E-mail terminal device is designated, and the mail data are forwarded to the communications network. Then, an E-mail server (an E-mail post) connected to the communications network distributes the E-mails to predetermined mailboxes on the basis of the addresses (transmission destination addresses, or addresses of addressees). The E-mail terminal device on the receiving side takes the E-mail addressed to the device itself out of the mailbox, and this receive the mail data.
This type of E-mail system incorporates, in addition to basic functions such as creating the mail and transmitting/receiving the mail, additional functions such as replying, transferring, saving and further broadcasting functions. This broadcasting function is a service for designating a plurality of addressees (transmission destination addresses) or naming a certain group, and broadcasting at one time the same mail data to the plurality of addressees or to all users (members) of that group given a name at one time. This broadcast facilitates the transmission of the same E-mail to the plurality of other E-mail terminal devices from one single E-mail terminal device with reduced labors of the users.
Note that the existing E-mail system is constructed such that when utilizing the broadcasting function, E-mails as replies (such as answers, comments and so on) to the broadcast E-mail are transmitted to not only the E-mail terminal device having broadcast the mail but also other E-mail terminal devices having received the broadcast mail.
The broadcast for transmitting the same E-mail to the plurality of transmission destinations at one time in the conventional E-mail system, involves the use of a [mailing list]. When transmitting (replying) E-mails in response to one single request by making use of this mailing list, the E-mails are broadcast to all the members (transmitters) registered in that list, and hence this system is most efficient in the case of exchanging opinions and information between the plurality of users.
Thus, the labor for inputting the mail addresses of a multiplicity of unspecified addressees can be saved by utilizing the mailing list when transmitting the information, and the transmission of the information can be simplified. While on the other hand, there might occur an endless chain of mistakes in which the reply mail is mis-transmitted to the address of the mailing list with an intention that the reply mail would have been given to the individual information transmitter having posted to the mailing list, and it follows that the private reply mail is broadcast to all the registered members.
Accordingly, the users are required to confirm the addressee when creating and transmitting the reply mail and designate to a correct address of the addressee, which might lead an increase in load upon the operations of the users and cause a decrease in an efficiency of utilizing the E-mail system.